Dear Carls,
I am a freshman in college and I am interested in Japan, but I keep on hearing about the low birth rate in Japan, and I am worried! When I get out of college, will there still be a Japan to be interested in?! Also, will there be anyone there who will want to be my girlfriend? This is making me question my whole plan of study here!
Japan Sinks
Dear Japan Sinks,
In James Clavell book Shogun, one of the characters regards Japan as an “island of death.” While that book is historical fiction, it isn’t too crazy to believe that someone in Japan said something like that in the past. The fact is, Japan has been struck by earthquakes, typhoons, and tsunamis since it was created, so “Japan being in crisis” is not a new thing.
In old Japanese plays and books, double suicides (or “shinju”) of two lovers that could kill themselves because their love was forbidden by their society was romanticized to the point of cliche. “Shinju” literally means “in the heart” which implies that killing yourself for your lover is the deepest desire of the heart. It becomes a bit more reasonable to then to think of why perhaps an individual in Japan might not want to invest their lives to such an ideal. In crowded cities where it can be too expensive to live without a full time job, a low birth rate sounds more reasonable.
As far as your problem goes, a low birth rate doesn’t mean a country with no need for love or human contact. It just means that people have gotten used to using birth control. As far as Japan still existing when you get out of college, you should probably worry more about the rising sea level and the unpredictable changes climate change may bring. The low birth rate may be the least of your problems.
In the end, nothing worth doing is going to be easy. Just don’t go because you want to see giant robots and anime babes. I can assure you, those things have been exaggerated by the Japanese media.
Dear Carls,
What is your favorite Star Wars movie???
Star Wars Fan
Dear Star Wars Fan,
I am not sure if I have a favorite Star Wars film anymore. I was going to say A New Hope, but I rewatched that recently and it just wasn’t as good as I remembered it. Maybe all the changes that have been made to it over the years (and the inability to see the original version) have dulled it for me, but I just can’t work up any enthusiasm for Star Wars anymore. I will admit that it is mostly based on the fan backlash that has emerged in the last decade.
I am so sick of hearing that George Lucas “raped your childhood.” You know what? Maybe you shouldn’t base your childhood on a series of movies. Granted, I assume that most people wouldn’t consider Star Wars their entire childhood, but the way people talk about it, Star Wars might as well been. You know whose childhood Star Wars actually makes up? George Lucas’ childhood. He is the one who watched Flash Gordon and other sci-fi serials, and made Star Wars as a pastiche to the things he loved as a child. It sucks that George Lucas seems adamant about not releasing the old versions, but you know what reasonable people do when something makes them angry to the point of ranting about it over and over on the internet? They stop paying attention to it!
I have nothing against people who like Star Wars. Star Wars is a fun universe, and I hope it appeals to me again one day, but for now, let’s give the hate a little rest.
On second thought, maybe Empire is my favorite? At this point, maybe my favorite Star Wars film is Clerks. They do talk about it at some point.
Well, That is it for this week. If you have any questions, please, please, please send them to frequentlyaskedcarls@gmail.com ! Have a good week!
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